Bill Gates Gives Out Highest Donation Since 2000
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, has given out what is his largest donation since 2000, $4.6 billion, amounting to 5 percent of his company’s fortune.
The billionaire donated 64 million of the software maker’s shares valued at $4.6bn on 6 June, according to a Securities & Exchange Commission filing released Monday.
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The gift, according to calculations by Bloomberg is the largest Gates has made since 2000. It was recorded that the 61-year-old billionaire gave away $16 billion worth of Microsoft shares in 1999 and $5.1 billion the year after.
While the recipient of the gift wasn’t specified, Gates has made the majority of his donations to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the charity he and his wife use to direct their philanthropic efforts.
According to a review of two decades worth of Gates Foundation tax returns, annual reports and regulatory filings, Bill and Melinda Gates have given a total of about $35 billion of stock and cash since 1994, based on the value of the shares at the time of gifts.
According to Forbes and Bloomberg, Gates remains the richest person in the world, with a fortune worth about $87 billion.
